Madrid is the kind of city for which we do not need excuses to visit. Tapas, sun, good food, party…You really have to want it to be bored in Madrid! And if in addition a music festival will be held, what are we waiting for to book our tickets?
 
 From the 2nd of November to the 4th of December, the Spanish capital hosts the 28th Festival International de Jazz de Madrid. This event will last more than a month and produce artists from all around the world to play in the most beautiful places in the city. 28 editions, then; still the festival continues to renew itself by hosting the big names of the jazz world and many young talents who brings a fresh attitude.

Continue Reading…

The European Balloon Festival is the biggest concentration of international ballooning in Europe. The event has been organized since 1997, 2011 is the XIV edition of the festival.

This year, the festival takes place between the 6^th and the 10^th of July in Igualada, Cataluña (Spain) . During these four days (Thursday to Sunday) more than fifty hot air balloons, , will be flying  the sky. The teams come from around the geography and there will be over 25,000 visitors.

The European Balloon Festival is a concentration and a competition, a festival of hot air balloons, which meets the recreational aspect of the flight, the beauty of this sport and competition. Over the four days of the festival, visitors can enjoy the spectacle of seeing colors fly more than 50 balloons participate in scheduled activities or to take off in a balloon, while the teams are in out different tests and competition exhibition.

The European Balloon Festival offers, apart from enjoying the spectacle, the opportunity to participate actively in the various activities planned or carried out a christening balloon flight. You can try flying on a balloon as well as tasting the traditional Catalan food. Enjoy the flight!

The Spanish love to party and the Nit de Foc (23^rd June), on the eve of the Sant Joan, is one of the biggest fiestas. In most coastal cities in Spain this night is celebrated with bonfires, music and dancing. The bravest ones can jump over the fire. This normally takes places in the beach.

Apart from the fire, some places around the country have their very own traditions: for example in Ciutadella, Menorca, the typical elements of the celebration are the “caixers”, horse riders who dance with the horses around the streets of the town.  In Alicante these days the tradition is to burn ninots ( figures made of cardboard) and eat coca, the traditional desert.

This breathless combination of street parties, bonfires, fireworks and pop concerts will surely impress and sate even the most demanding of travelers.

Be specially careful if you are thinking of travelling to Spain during the next few months. Workers at the state-owned company that runs Spain’s airports Aena have called 22 days of rolling strikes during peak tourist seasons to protest government plans to sell off half of the firm.

The Government and the President of the Company are open to negotiations but workers insist that if they don’t get to an agreement in their salary and working conditions they will call the strike. This will cause delays and cancellations during the most important seasons of the year, and it can carry severe consecuences for the still weak Spanish economy as well as for the image of the country.

Let’s hope they agree on the terms of an agreement and everyone can enjoy their holidays.

Europe is proud to have 12 out of the 15 best ski resorts in the world so if you are planning to go skiing on your next break we recommend you to take a look at this:

Austria and Switzerland have always been famous for their ski resorts. In this case Austria has 4 resorts in the list: Lech, Kitzbühel (and its famous balneary), Zell and See/Kaprun (where it is also possible to ski in summer) and Saalbach – Hinterglem. Most of them have a big offer for skiing experts. Switzerland is proud to be on the list with 3 of them: Crans Montana, one of the most elitist resorts in the country, Saas-Fe and Zermatt, considered the most beautiful ski resort in Europe.

However, other countries offer different options. France has two resorts on the list: Courchevel, the French jet set’s favourite and Meribel, with slopes for all the different levels. Spain, most known for its good weather and sunny summers also has two stations with around 90 km and modern installations. These resorts can be found in the south, Sierra Nevada, and in the North, Baqueira-Veret. Last, but not least, the small country of Andorra also has a very good and complete station, Grandvalira.

So check them soon and get your skis, gloves and goggles ready to explore the snow!

There are two hotels that claim to be the smallest in the world, so we will describe both, you decide which one you like the most!

The first one is in El Hierro, in the Canary Islands, and it has a total of 4 double beds. Getting to the hotel is not an easy job, as it is only reachable by car, through rough roads surrounded by a wonderful volcanic environment.

Once in the building, visitors will enjoy a fantastic view over the sea in one of the four unique bedrooms. The hotel is decorated with sea related objects, the bathrooms have boat’s wood floor and there are other recycled items such as port holes, nets and a scuba gear. An incredible place to enjoy a calm and relaxing weekend.

The second hotel can be found in Amberg, Germany. It only has one double room, normally reserved by just married couples. The building can be easily spotted, as it is the most narrow one in the street (only 2 metres and a half), it was built in 1728 and the decoration style is of the same period.

2010 is a very good moment to visit Madrid, as it celebrates 100 years of the “Gran Via”, one of its most famous streets. If you are planning to visit the capital of Spain, Gran Via should be on your list of places to visit, but also you shouldn’t miss the market of San Miguel.

The building was first built in 1916 and it represents the architecture of iron. It was renovated some years ago and from then on it has been the place to be, a place for people to meet and eat, the perfect combination.

The market consists of more than 30 little food shops: from traditional Spanish food to Japanese sushi, good fish, a shop specialized in cheese and some wine. Top it up with a very good ambience; whenever you go it is always full of people. Opened until 2 am and in the centre of the city (off the Plaza Mayor) it is a wonderful way of discovering the real Spain. Make your reservation in Madrid in Hotelopia.

Yesterday’s Spanish strike, a protest against the government measures, caused travel disruptions in some UK airports.  Some of the passengers travelling to Spain had to change their plans as they saw the cancelation of their flights, although airlines like Ryanair said there would be no extra charge for rebooking (or they will give the money back). BA rearranged flights so as to enable most of their clients to reach their destination.

Within Spain other forms of transport have been disrupted by the strike. Picketers tried to stop buses in some cities and closed roads in others. Other than that, the strike did not have major effects in transport and today airports and train stations are back to normal.

Feeling a bit peckish this week, fancy heading out for a meal? Well it just so happens you’re in luck. As of yesterday- Monday 26th April- the S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants were announced, deliberated by over 800 food critics, chefs and restaurateurs a lift of the 50 best places to dine this year was announced. It was decided that the finest place to eat on the planet is restaurant ‘Noma’ in Copenhagen, Denmark. The cuisine is a refined Nordic and Scandinavian interpretation supervised by head chef René Redzepi.
The USA did well this year with three restaurants in the top ten, ‘Alinea’ in Chicago was best places for the US with 7th; the UK’s ‘The Fat Duck’ came in an impressive 3rd with Italy also claiming a top ten boast. Spain however continue to dominate the crème de le crème of fine cuisine with four top ten placing with last year’s winner ‘El Bulli’ losing the top spot and slipping to second.

Don’t forget that this Easter Hotelopia has special offers that will help you save up to 20%. All your favourite destinations at lower prices: book hotels in Portugal from $24 or Spain from $50! The best deals are always in Hotelopia, check it out in our webpage!